Scrap metal thieves arrested Sunday afternoon

They thought no one would notice their scrap metal caper on North Broadway on a steamy Sunday afternoon. They were wrong.

Police arrested three people who had scaled a fence at Barbee Enterprises in the 2400 block of North Broadway early Sunday afternoon, Lt. Dan East said. The officers found the two women and one man piling up scrap metal they had taken from a building.

Someone at work across the street saw the trio climb over a fence at Barbee and called 911 at about 1:40 p.m. to report the suspicious activity, East said. A 34-year-old woman, a 44-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman were taken into custody by the officers.

“This was a very good example of an employee being aware of their surroundings and seeing something that didn’t look right,” East said.

Residents “being our eyes and ears” is important, he said, because officers can’t be everywhere at once.